In today's world ships are behemoths of steel and electronics. Combat takes place in an almost videogame like environment, with engagements happening not hundreds of yards away but possibly hundreds of miles away. Life and death is decided by a click of the mouse, and in seconds a fleet can be sent to the bottom.

Travel back in time to an era when battles for the supremacy of the sea lanes was decided by brave men commanding massive fortresses of floating wood and cloth. No radar lock- ons, just the Mark I eyeball, and no guided missiles, just heavy orbs of iron. Battle would be joined so close together that you could practically see what your enemy had for lunch by spotting the stains on his uniform. This was an era of steel nerves and sound tactics, of sea knowledge and possessing a little bit of Poseidon's own luck. Spruegames' Salvo! recreates this era.

Set in the 17th through 19th centuries, also known as the Age of Sail, Salvo! is an exciting single-player game of naval warfare for Windows. Take command of the navies of England, France, the fledgling United States, and others, as you wage war in a fully realized three-dimensional environment. Relish in the sight and sound of full-scale battle, as ships are pounded into submission, rendered right there on your screen. Forget having to worry about a bunch of boring stats, as thanks to Salvo's visual feedback you'll always know what's going on with the fleets, from tattered sails to shattered hulls (hopefully only the enemy's!).

Combat can involve a handful of ships all the way up to scores of vessels participating in a single engagement. Thanks to the innovative and highly intuitive 'action marker' system controlling your ships is a snap. Order ships individually, or by squadron, the choice is yours.

With numerous campaigns there are plenty of scenarios that cover the gamut of warfare during the period. Especially interesting is the application of tactics between battles during the campaigns. It won't be enough to simply win a battle, players will have to win the campaign by carefully choosing when and where to fight, based on how the previous combat resulted. Failure to keep the big picture in mind may have drastic consequences, like Napoleon's army marching through London!

With easy to grasp mechanics, beautiful graphics, and an excellent branching campaign structure, this is the fighting sail wargame you've always wanted!

FEATURES:

♦ Single player, turn-based game of naval warfare set during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

♦ Eschewing dry tables and charts, combat results are visually represented on the avatars, making combat resolution both beautiful to behold and highly functional to watch.

♦ Everything is rendered in full 3D and directly inspired by the artwork of the time depicting the naval battles.

♦ Command ships from a variety of navies that include the nations of England, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and the United States. Also get your plundering fix with the pirate hordes of Barbary and the Caribbean.

♦ Land and shallow water! Learn to take advantage of the environment while battling along a coastline.

♦ Variable winds for the ultimate combat challenge!

♦ Easy to use 'Action Marker' system provides precise control for individual ships, while Salvo's squadron controls allow you to direct whole groups of ships at the same time. Move, shoot, grapple, board, form a line of battle and more with just a few clicks of the mouse!

♦ Branching campaign structure that allows the player to chart the course of the campaign and decide where next to fight. Depending on how one battle goes there can be up to a half dozen possibilities for the next scenario, allowing a huge amount of replayability.

♦ In between scenarios refit and upgrade ships. You can even use captured enemy vessels in your own fleet! Ships in the game include ships of the line, sloops, xebecs, frigates, gun platforms, and bombards.